Tag: Chemical nomenclature

While often used interchangeably, table salt, sodium, and natrium are not the same; table salt is a chemical compound called sodium chloride, which contains the element sodium. The element's chemical symbol, Na, is derived from its Latin name, natrium.

First prepared in 1858 by French chemist Victor Dessaignes, malonic acid has several alternative names. While widely known by its common name, its IUPAC and other descriptive names reveal deeper insights into its chemical structure and properties. The most important another name for malonic acid is propanedioic acid, but it is also known by other chemical identifiers.

Discovered in 1820, glycine is the smallest proteinogenic amino acid and is known by several other names. While its name comes from the Greek word for 'sweet,' understanding its alternative monikers is crucial for those in biochemistry, nutrition, and chemistry.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the common name for the saturated fatty acid C22:0 is behenic acid, while its systematic name is docosanoic acid. This long-chain fatty acid has a variety of applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid with 16 carbon atoms, is the most common fatty acid in animals, plants, and microorganisms. While widely known by its common name, chemists and scientists have another, more systematic name for this ubiquitous substance: hexadecanoic acid.

Polysaccharides, also known as glycans, are carbohydrate polymers composed of numerous monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds. However, unlike a simple compound with a single chemical name, there is no one universal chemical name for a polysaccharide due to the vast diversity in their structure and composition.